


Before The Storm

by DGCatAniSiri



Category: Jade Empire
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-26
Updated: 2018-03-26
Packaged: 2019-04-08 08:04:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14101035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DGCatAniSiri/pseuds/DGCatAniSiri
Summary: The journey back to the Imperial Palace is a time for reflection.





	Before The Storm

No one would ever call the Marvelous Dragonfly rickety. Certainly not to Kang’s face, at any rate. Yet as the flyer ascended into the skies, making its way back in the direction of the floating Imperial Palace, with the interior baffling having been lost, the impression that could easily be drawn from the shaking and rattling, making it impossible to speak to one another, was that it might fly apart at any moment.

Sky did not believe that of the Dragonfly, however. It had seen them through much so far, from the escape from Gao the Greater’s fortress, to their ‘rescue’ of Lord Lao from the entity holding him captive (or Kang’s memories of being Lord Lao... it was confusing), even their initial escape from the palace. It had held together through Sun Li’s assault on Dirge. It wouldn’t fall apart on them now.

Still, the shaking was certainly unsettling to even his confidence that the flyer would hold together. Kang may have been confident that the shaking and rattling would inspire the heavens to take pity on them and see them to safety, but Sky had always found himself preferring the comfort of mortal certainty than faith in the heavens.

Then again, it had been because of the Water Dragon herself that Ming had been returned to him. He knew, in his bones, in his very soul, that Ming would see them through this. He had faith. Perhaps not in distant gods who only cared to mark his deeds on a cosmic scorecard to determine his next life, but in the man he loved. 

Ming had said he’d meditate on the way to the palace, prepare himself to face Sun Li, his former master. Sky had the suspicion that he meant it to fortify himself, both at the idea of facing Sun Li and because, frankly, having died and been resurrected was surely an exhausting feat, one that one night’s sleep wouldn’t be enough to recover from. And, of course, one had little chance of genuinely sleeping in the noise of the Dragonfly.

Still, Ming deserved this chance. Things would change, forever, once Sun Li was dead. Who knew what would come next? They’d briefly discussed what the future might hold for them both, but had nothing more solid in the form of a plan than ‘we’d stay together.’ Which was good when you wanted a promise, but a plan would have been equally appreciated at the moment. 

Sky reached out and gently rubbed a hand against Ming’s cheek. He loved this man. He’d almost forgotten that he could love another, after the brutal murder of Pinmei. His daughter had deserved better than to be cut down and left for scavengers on the side of the road. 

Yet now, three years later, the fury at the injustice of the act had faded. He would always be angry at the loss, mourn the child she had been and the woman she would have become, but that anger no longer defined him. He was at peace. And that peace only seemed to grow steadier while he was with Ming. He’d been lost, adrift, when he’d thought Ming had fallen to Li. He couldn’t even stop, cradle his body close. They’d had to flee the palace and leave his body behind. That the Water Dragon had restored him, complete and whole, with not a scratch upon him... It was a miracle.

He would not let go of this miracle without the fight of his life. 

Ming would confront and fight his former master. Sun Li should pray that Ming would be the one who would kill him. Sky would offer no mercy to him.

***

Princess Sun Lian the Heavenly Lily. Silk Fox. Two names for the same woman. Yet now, she would be in a place where she would have to forsake one of them, possibly forever.

Perhaps she was being overdramatic. If this were the end – the true end, this time, rather than what had turned out to be a false start when they had confronted her father – then she would have to make a choice between which identity she had to claim. Yet, assuming that Ming was successful, and she had faith he would be, he had seen them this far, accomplished the miracle of surviving where none would have expected, not even allowing death to stop him... Well, the Silk Fox had many purposes. She could be more than just the Heavenly Lily.

Still, the thought was more than a little concerning. For so long, she had been worried that Death’s Hand had corrupted her father, but she had always shied away from the idea that her father could die. Sun Hai had outwitted the heavens themselves, brought peace and prosperity in the wake of the Long Drought. She hadn’t expected that he would die. Worse, that she would be in part the cause of his death. 

And now... If all went well – and it simply had to, they could not leave the Empire in the hands of a madman like Li – she would be the last remaining member of the Sun line. She would ascend to the throne of the Empire, and rule its people.

How could she do that when she had refused to believe the signs of her father’s corruption for so long? If she had been even slightly less persistent in uncovering the truth of Death’s Hand – a truth she hadn’t even suspected until fate had brought her into the orbit of Li’s student – Sun Hai would still rule the Empire. 

No. She could not look at it that way. As Ming had pointed out, her compassion drove her to break from the tradition of the role of princess. She had refused to remain among the palace, finding reason, justification, to leave, to walk among the people. She knew the thoughts and concerns of the people of the Jade Empire, more than her father had cared to. To him, they were simply a resource, tools to be used and discarded when they no longer served his purpose. But she had seen they were people, with hopes, dreams, desires... All of which deserved her respect.

She looked to Dawn Star, who she had viewed as a rival when she’d joined this ragtag band of misfits. She’d been attracted to Ming, and viewed Dawn Star as the one who represented her greatest threat to his affections. It had been a competition only between the two of them, of course – without even trying, Sky had beaten the both of them, a realization that had been quite embarrassing and humbling to the princess. 

Yet Dawn Star was, in a sense, still a potential rival – with Li’s usurping of the throne, that technically made Dawn Star, Li’s daughter, a contender for the throne. Yet, Lian knew that Dawn Star did not seek the throne.

She wondered if that made Dawn Star more worthy of it. As she had seen with Ming, those who did not seek greatness, glory, or power often were the ones capable of wielding it wisely. 

Yet she could not see Dawn Star taking the throne – though her blood was of the same line as hers, Dawn Star had been raised in the humble life of a peasant. From what Lian had seen of her, she would prefer to remain as such. 

No, Dawn Star was no rival for the throne. But perhaps she could be a friend. A cousin. Family.

It occurred to Lian that, considering the early death of her mother and the abdication of the role of father by Sun Hai, this would be a chance for her to gain something she had never truly known. And she would like the opportunity to explore it.

***

Dawn Star wondered if she would ever grow used to having her life fall apart and crumble under her feet. Two Rivers had been destroyed, the Empire she had known had hidden a rotted foundation, and the father she’d never known had been the Master she’d respected. Yet if Master Li was her father, as she was now aware, why had he not seen their connection? Surely, if she had been of his blood he would have seen it.

The only answer she could come to was that he simply did not care enough to look. 

Indeed, she had familiarity with the concept – she’d convinced herself that, with all they’d known at the school destroyed, the two of them being the only survivors of Two Rivers, the only thing either of them had left of the life – the world – they’d known before, it meant that she and Ming should be together. She’d known that he had no attraction to women, having been there for the both of them during his brief relationship with Jing Woo. She knew that he would not return any feelings she might have developed for him, and still attempted to convince herself that there was something between them, something romantic. 

It had been foolishness, but foolishness born of having lost everything else. She’d been snapped out of her own foolishness by seeing Ming and Sky, having realized their feelings for one another. The realization had forced her to begin to consider what her future would be.

That was thrown further into chaos by the realization of her tie to Master Li. He had been her mentor, yet had not truly been as a father to her. And yet he was. But he certainly did not care for her with the affection of a father. 

The mystery of her family had haunted her for so long, yet now that she had an answer... she wished she’d never gotten it.

Perhaps she should just act as if it hadn’t come at all – she had lived her life without the father and family she never had as it was, and only her companions... Her friends... knew of the truth. She had no desire to take the throne of the Jade Empire, Silk Fox, Princess Lian... her cousin... She was welcome to take it for herself and let Dawn Star simply... be. She had once told Ming she preferred things that way, and she still did.

They were flying towards a confrontation with a man who should have been a person of great importance to her – beyond his role as her teacher and instructor, that is – and yet she could not think of him as her father.

Perhaps, in another life, she could have been a child to the emperor of the Jade Empire. Yet in this life, she merely was Dawn Star. And in truth, that did not seem to be such a bad thing. Her life had been spent as such so far. She saw no reason for it to change. 

She wondered what her future might hold now – she had never truly given thought to it, had assumed that Master Li would tell her what she should do with her abilities once he was rescued from the clutches of the Emperor. Yet now she knew that he’d never been interested in her abilities as more than a curiosity. Perhaps she would seek out other instructors, ones more knowledgeable about spiritual matters. Before he’d moved on, Master Radiant at the Black Leopard School had indicated that there was knowledge to be found, should one seek it out. Surely there were orders dedicated to such beliefs.

Perhaps Ming would one day seek to rebuild the Spirit Monks. If he were to do so, she could be of great help to him, given her familiarity with the spirits. And it would be nice to have a friend in that uncertain future. Though were she to do something like that, she expected she would not be able to avoid the teasing about remaining close to him, after her foolish crush had put her foot in her mouth. 

Still, such were the burdens of friendship.

***

As much as it was meditation, it was also a much earned rest. Despite – perhaps because of – being brought back from the dead, Ming wished desperately to sleep properly. Dirge hadn’t offered much of a proper respite – beyond just the fact that they’d had mere hours from Ming’s resurrection to Sun Li’s assault, twenty years of exposure to the elements had worn away most of the blankets and pillows that had been in the Spirit Monk living quarters, leaving them with just the blankets they had used to camp outside of Tien’s Landing. And Tien’s Landing had been far more temperate than Dirge was.

The meditation was little help, but anything was appreciated right now. Hopefully, he would have the chance to properly sleep once Sun Li was dead. He tried to imagine what that would be like. 

He found himself hoping that it would feel like Sky’s arms wrapped around him from the time he closed his eyes at night until he opened them in the day. 

It was a foolish and romantic thought to have at this point in time. Too much was happening right now for him to give himself over to the idea that he could simply collapse into the fantasy he hoped soon would become reality. 

Simply put, he had to focus, first and foremost, on Li. Only then could he...

He felt Sky’s hand on his cheek, a gentle touch, a soft reminder that the man he loved was there. Putting that aside... was not a possibility. He fought for those around him. He fought for those who he carried with him. He fought for them. They mattered.

He would face Li. He would face Li, and this time there could be no last minute spiritual revival from the Water Dragon. He knew that she had used all of her strength to get him this far. She had aided him all she could, and now, the final fight was up to him and him alone. The others would aid as they could, but it would ultimately be just him and Li, in the fight that finished this. 

As he leaned into Sky’s touch, he swore one thing to himself – he would find a way to defeat Li. He would do so, release the Water Dragon from her torment and prison as Li’s captive prisoner, restore peace to the Jade Empire... And ensure that he and Sky were not parted again.

This coming battle would be the end of Li’s tale. It would be the prelude to the next step of Ming’s. And he fully intended for that tale to have Sky walking at his side.

He took a steadying breath, knowing that the Dragonfly had to be approaching the palace by now. The fountains of the floating fortress were visible. It wouldn’t be long now.

A look to each of his companions – Kang, Hou, Whirlwind, Wild Flower, Dawn Star, Silk Fox, Sky – said that they were ready for this fight as well. They would storm the palace once again. And the Imperial army, the Lotus Assassins, and whatever else Li might throw at them... They would only get in their way.

But they would not stop the coming storm.


End file.
